Asking for help isn’t something that comes to me naturally as I’ve always been a fiercely independent worker. My previous supervisors always commented on this trait almost immediately whether it was in an academic or business setting, and I often took a lot of pride in the fact that I could do things on my own. I never considered that this trait could potentially hold me back from growth. I guess I feared that asking for help would be a sign that I was incompetent, so I avoided it as much as possible. And I often thought that if I could just figure out how to manage my time better, I could do it all on my own. Case in point: In the 7 years that I’ve grown this blog, I’ve yet to hire a team member to help my husband and me.
However, this past year has helped me realize otherwise, at least in some areas of my life (I still have a long way to go). Working with Ashley on the photography for the next book has allowed me to focus more on my biggest passions – the writing and recipe creation – not to mention finish on time! Our working relationship has really opened my eyes to what I could achieve if I just asked for a bit more help. It has been a total light bulb moment. You know what else I realized? Collaboration is so darn fun. So much more fun than trying to do it on my own!
Golden Red Lentil Dal with Cilantro-Speckled Basmati
Yield
5 bowls
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This easy, flavourful curry is a great one to whip up during the workweek, and leftovers only get better the next day. Light coconut milk makes this curry so luxuriously rich and decadent tasting, while still feeling quite light and energizing. It definitely won’t weigh you down, but I can promise it’ll warm and comfort you on a chilly day. While it’s lovely all on its own (enjoyed like a rich, thick stew), I love it even more spooned over top my cilantro-speckled basmati rice with toasted pepita seeds, sliced green onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. The amount of broth called for yields a very thick consistency; if you’d like it thinner and more “soup-like” feel free to thin it out with a bit more broth (if so, you might need to also increase the spices and seasonings as the extra broth will dilute the flavours). This comforting curry recipe is adapted from Super Fresh: Super Natural, Super Vibrant Vegan Recipes by Jennifer Houston and Ruth Tal which is a cookbook featuring the recipes from Fresh, one of my favourite vegan restaurants here in Toronto.
Ingredients
For the curry:
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) virgin coconut oil or grapeseed oil
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 3 large or 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 1/2 cups peeled and finely diced carrots (about 2-3 large)*
- 2 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste**
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can light coconut milk
- 2 cups (500 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if desired to thin the broth
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar (optional)
- 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
For the rice:
- 1 cup dry basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) virgin coconut oil or vegan butter
- 1 3/4 cups (430 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth, or as needed
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, large stems removed and finely chopped***
- Fine sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice, to taste
Suggested toppings:
- Green onions, thinly sliced
- Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- Toasted pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds)
- Squeeze of lime juice (optional)
Directions
- For the curry: Add the oil in a large pot and increase heat to medium. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Sautée over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Stir in the ginger and carrots, and continue sautéing for another few minutes over medium heat.
- Add the curry powder, cumin, and turmeric. Stir well. Cook for a minute, until fragrant.
- Pick over and rinse the lentils in a fine mesh sieve. Stir in the entire can of coconut milk, red lentils, broth, and salt. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered with the lid ajar, for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils and carrots are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. Stir in a touch more broth if you'd like a slightly thinner consistency. After cooking, stir in all of the spinach until wilted. Stir in the black pepper, cayenne (if using), and sugar (if using). Taste and adjust salt, if desired.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Add the rice into a medium pot along with the oil and broth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a lid, and cook for 12 to 16 minutes, until the rice is soft and tender. Fluff with a fork and stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. Keep the lid on until ready to serve.
- Add a generous scoop of rice on a plate or bowl and top with a couple ladlefuls of curry. Add your desired toppings and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 6 days. The curry can also be frozen for up to 4 weeks, possibly longer. For easy freezer storage, add the cooled curry into a freezer-safe bag, press out the air, and freeze on a flat surface. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or simply leave on the counter until mostly thawed.
Tip:
- * The smaller you dice the carrots, the faster they cook! I opt for thinly sliced carrots here to hasten cook time.
- ** Be sure to use a good-quality curry powder (one you enjoy the taste of) as a poor-tasting one can throw the flavours off. I am quite fond of Simply Organic curry powder.
- *** Not a cilantro fan? Simply leave it out and prepare the rice without it. No biggie!
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Photography credit: Ashley McLaughlin Photography
Last but not least, I want to wish all my fellow Canadians a very Happy Thanksgiving! We’ve been blessed with gorgeous, warm weather this weekend, and I hope you are too. Thank YOU for coming back to this blog time and time again, and for making this career so personally rewarding.
All my family loved this meal. Such a great combination of flavor. And OMG never thought of making cilantro rice, it became MY FAV OF ALL!!!!
This recipe is a total winner, Angela. My husband made it for dinner last night, and it was perfect, as written (as usual!). The rice is particularly good–my 4 yo son gobbled it up. We’ll be making this one again for sure. Thank you for all your careful work and testing. It sure comes through in the recipes. We’ve never had a fail. This one is no exception. Delicious! I’m savoring the lunch leftovers as we speak. :)
I’ve made this twice now and it’s super delicious! I’ve recently had to go dairy free and it’s been hard figuring out what to eat.
I made this recipe last night for the first time. It was amazing! Very simple ingredients and very wholesome and nourishing meal. When I was at the market, they had two types of curry powder: one was regular curry powder and the other was the extra spicy powder. I played it safe and went with the regular curry powder, but I think next time I’ll try the extra spicy curry powder for a little added kick. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Wow! I am not a big fan of lentils. I now realize that I just wasn’t a fan of how they are prepared.
This recipe was quick and totally delicious! I can’t say enough great things about it. Thank you for all of your hard work, it is really delicious!
Wow, this was SO DELICIOUS!! And really, pretty quick to put together! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
I made this a few weeks back and it was a huge success at home! I made it again for a pot luck at work (As it’s basically allergy free hehe) with some naan bread to “spoon” it. It was again a massive success all around and everyone loved it. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Just wanted to check with you. My daughter is allergic to peanuts and I have heard cumin can cause a problem for those with peanut allergies. I know I would just leave that out but wondered if others had the same information.
This was WAY out of my wheelhouse but, I did it! I made it. And we liked it. I have made a second time. I loved the smells while it is all cooking. I absolutely lose my mind when the “healthy” recipes taste like you are eating cardboard or camel dung (never really tasted camel dung, but you get the idea) but, your recipes are actually easy to make and taste really, really good. I am not vegan, or vegetarian, I just would like to eat healthier. And try some new things. Thank you for a marvelous website to explore! I just discovered the Almond Milk recipe – I have been buying it for years at the store but, will now make my own. take good care
This straightforward recipe produces a large quantity of balanced flavorful dal. The light coconut milk was a great addition. This recipe is better than many vegetarian dals that are either bland or overly spiced. I imagine it will be even better with a fresher curry powder. I will make this again!
I reduced the ginger to 1 tablespoon, used black beluga lentils and added sliced red bell pepper at the end. The black beluga lentils took longer to cook than red lentils.
I made this dish last night instead of a traditional New Year’s meal of black eyed peas and collard greens. I am so glad I did. It turned out wonderful! I froze the leftovers for a weekday lunch. Next time, I will double the recipe for an easy weeknight meal
So yummy and healthy! I added cauliflower and it made so much tasty curry! Thanks for the simple and scrumptious recipe :)
oh wow, this was AMAZING! even better the next day for lunch! and the day after that for dinner!!!
I’m strongly considering going vegan after years of being vegetarian. I’ve been trying a lot of vegan recipes out on my omnivorous family, and this is by far everyone’s favorite recipe that I have made thus far. It is really flavorful and fragrant. I used a good amount more of both cumin and curry powder, just to add a bit more flavor. It was delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Dear Angela.,
The recipes you put here sound delicious.. Thank you so much for sharing them. Just printed 2 recipes and can’t wait to try them. If you’ve published a book, I would be so interested in purchasing it.
Thank you again,
Hanna
I made this last night and it was AMAZING! I love dal and get it every time we eat at Indian restaurants, but always thought it would be difficult/time-consuming to make. This was quick, easy, and so good! Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks, Angela- this is a favorite around here!
Has anyone tried this in the slow cooker? I think it would work but wonder if I’d need to adjust the amount of liquid.
Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks!
Angela,
Thank you for putting together such an amazing collection of recipes. My husband and I have been vegan for just over a year, and we haven’t looked back – in a large part due to our discovery of your blog, which was followed quickly by my husband’s love of cooking. Thank you for making it easy to stay healthy and happy!
Raina
Yum!!!!! Love this blog and Love this recipe
i made your lentil loaf and have green lentils leftover. Could I use them or do you have to use red lentils??/
I made this recipe last night with a few substitutions, because I am big on using what I have if it is “close enough”. The substitutions? Green lentils instead of read ones, and whole coconut milk instead of light. I also about doubled the curry powder, but maybe the one I have isn’t that strong compared to others. It was amazing! My husband was absolutely floored by this delicious, filling, meatless meal. (We aren’t vegan, but have been eating less meat and are on the fence about trying it.) The only thing is I love to have saucy curry, but it seemed my lentils sucked up almost all my sauce/liquid. I would add another half or even whole can of coconut milk and increase the spices to match to try to get it saucier.
Sorry… I accidentally left my comment as a reply to yours. Yes, you can use green lentils. I did, and they were delicious!